Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen defended his El Salvador trip to meet with deported illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Van Hollen, 66, got his start in politics as a staffer for former Maryland U.S. Sen. Charles Mathias in the 1980s, going on to staff the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and, later, Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer.

Appearing emotional and tired, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen arrived back in the United States on Friday afternoon, marking his return from a trip to El Salvador where he met with mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia.